Vancouver news

• Mayoral candidate in Kamloops says he'll freeze property taxes

  16-08-2017 23:55 via vancouversun.com
  KAMLOOPS — The newest candidate in the race to become mayor of Kamloops is pledging to freeze taxes in 2018.
  Bill McQuarrie said he’ll deliver a zero-per-cent tax increase during his year as mayor if elected in the Sept. 30 byelection.
  “Like many taxpayers, I am frustrated with what has become the accepted norm of regular tax increases of 2.5 per cent every year,” McQuarrie said in a release. 
  Speaking to KTW, McQuarrie said he doesn’t believe that a cut i
  
  Read more

• Major gun and drug bust in Vancouver

  16-08-2017 23:48 via globalnews.ca
  An investigation by the Vancouver Police Department named Project Tariff, took five months and ended with the seizure of eight firearms and more than two kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and other synthetic opiates.
  
  Read more

• The alt-right? They’re alt-Reich

  16-08-2017 23:37
  
  A so-called “Unite the Right” rally inCharlottesville, Virginia last weekendended in violence and tragedy.
  
  Read more

• VPD addresses security ahead of Saturday’s far-right extremist rally

  16-08-2017 23:33
  
  The Vancouver Police Department is planning to get out front of any potential conflict that may arise Saturday when a pair of far-right extremist groups stage their first rally at Vancouver City Hall.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Province says 2017 is B.C.'s worst wildfire season on record

  16-08-2017 23:29 via vancouversun.com
  The 2017 wildfire season is officially the worst on record in British Columbia.
  The B.C. Wildfire Service said Wednesday that a total of 1,026 wildfires have razed nearly 8,950 square kilometres, surpassing the old record of 8,560 square kilometres set in 1958.
  The majority of the activity has occurred in the province’s Cariboo region where fires have destroyed more than 6,700 square kilometres.
  B.C. Wildfire Service spokesman Kevin Skrepnek says there are still 142 fires currently bu
  
  Read more

• Book your winter cruise now

  16-08-2017 23:18 via theprovince.com
  It’s about this time of year that I start receiving emails asking when the best time to book a winter cruise getaway is. It’s a question with a deceptively easy answer: the best time to book is now.
  Whether you’re in the market for a quick jaunt to the Bahamas or a winter getaway to South America or Asia, now is the time to start researching and planning your warm-weather escape. This is particularly true if you’re looking to cruise over the holidays: Christmas and New Ye
  
  Read more

• Prince George man in custody following alleged child abduction attempts

  16-08-2017 23:15 via globalnews.ca
  Kenneth Jim John, 35, has been charged with two counts of kidnapping, and one count each of assault and obstructing a peace officer.
  
  Read more

• NCAA hoops still set to play Vancouver — but now in 2018

  16-08-2017 23:10 via theprovince.com
  Vancouver hoops fans are in for a treat, as organizers have confirmed a previously announced pre-season college basketball tournament will feature at least two big-time NCAA teams. There’s a catch, of course: fans will just have to wait a year longer than expected.
  The Vancouver Basketball Showcase will have both Minnesota and Texas A&M in attendance when the event tips off in November 2018.
  The tournament was originally scheduled for 2017, but Brooks Downing, president and CEO of even
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Solar eclipse confusion could make animals do some strange things

  16-08-2017 23:05 via globalnews.ca
  Several zoos along the solar eclipse's path are keeping an eye out for unusual behaviour from animals.
  
  Read more

• The PNE has a new shimmer, and cricket fries

  16-08-2017 23:04 via vancouversun.com
  The Pacific National Exhibition will go to the ends of the earth to discover new trends to unveil to the masses.
  Sometimes it’s a ride like The Beast, an “extreme pendulum” that rips 12 storeys into the sky at 90 km/h, twirls, then sends riders hurtling 120 degrees in another direction.
  Other times it’s a gnarly new food, like a burger filled with macaroni and cheese, or a giant pickle stuffed with a hotdog, covered in cornmeal and deep-fried.
  This year’s hot item i
  
  Read more

• 2017 officially B.C.’s worst ever wildfire season

  16-08-2017 22:50 via globalnews.ca
  With 894,491 hectares burned since April 1, B.C. is now facing its worst-ever wildfire season.
  
  Read more

• What a difference a week makes: Vancouver's hazy sky clears

  16-08-2017 22:44
  
  Use our 'slider' tool to see how the smoke in Vancouver's skies has cleared compared to last week.
  
  Read more

• Curious bobcat family checks out Coldstream home

  16-08-2017 22:36 via globalnews.ca
  A family of three curious bobcats were caught on camera near Vernon, B.C., peering into a basement window Wednesday morning.
  
  Read more

• Curious bobcats caught peeking into B.C. home

  16-08-2017 22:33 via globalnews.ca
  Three curious bobcats were caught on camera sneaking a peek into the basement window of a Coldstream, B.C. home.
  
  Read more

• Vancouver ultra-right racist rally to proceed after resurfacing online

  16-08-2017 22:07
  A planned right-wing demonstration at City Hall has sparked an anti-racist counter-protest — and debate over how best to challenge increasingly overt extremism.
  
  Read more

• Vancouver far-right racist rally to proceed after resurfacing online

  16-08-2017 22:07
  A planned right-wing demonstration at City Hall has sparked an anti-racist counter-protest — and debate over how best to challenge increasingly overt extremism.
  
  Read more

• Deadpool 2 resumes filming under the Granville Street Bridge

  16-08-2017 21:57 via globalnews.ca
  Filming on the Vancouver set of Deadpool 2 resumed Wednesday morning under the Granville Street Bridge. The production of the superhero film shut down for 2 days following the death of stunt woman SJ Harris .
  
  Read more

• Urge to splurge online? Why you should put the touchscreen down

  16-08-2017 21:43 via globalnews.ca
  "These results may well be a game-changer."
  
  Read more

• Surrey residents take ‘save Hawthorne Park’ campaign to city hall

  16-08-2017 21:39 via globalnews.ca
  "I've talked to the community, I've literally talked to hundreds of homes. They don't want it."
  
  Read more

• Vancouver police make significant fentanyl seizure

  16-08-2017 21:37
  
  Vancouver police seize more than two kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl and heroin
  
  Read more

• Major gun and drug bust in Vancouver: 4 gang associates arrested and charged

  16-08-2017 21:33 via globalnews.ca
  A major gun and drug bust in Vancouver has led to four gang associates being arrested and charged with various drug-trafficking and firearms-related offences.
  
  Read more

• BC NDP raise minimum wage to $11.35

  16-08-2017 21:07 via globalnews.ca
  BC’s new NDP government is raising the minimum wage but not as fast as some had hoped. It will go up by 50-cents by mid-September, bringing it to $11.35. But as Catherine Urquhart reports, that’s a far cry from the NDP’s campaign promise.
  
  Read more

• Lewis Black and Kathleen Madigan 49th Parallel Tour

  16-08-2017 20:44 via globalnews.ca
  LEWIS BLACK & KATHLEEN MADIGAN THE 49TH PARALLEL TOUR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE – VANCOUVER, BC Doors:  7:00PM          Show:  8:00PM Tickets available at www.livenation.com Charge by Phone 1-855-985-5000 Tickets (incl. GST) $39.50, $52.50, $69.50 (Plus service charges) **RESERVED SEATING / ALL AGES** About Lewis Black: LEWIS BLACK, GRAMMY Award-winning, stand-up comedian, is...
  
  Read more

• Vancouver police investigation leads to seizure of guns and drugs

  16-08-2017 20:42 via vancouversun.com
  A five-month Vancouver Police Department investigation, codenamed Project Tariff, has led to the seizure of a cache of firearms and more two kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogues, including carfentanil.
  The VPD says four members of a major Vancouver-based crime group have been arrested and charged with various drug-trafficking and firearms-related offences.
  “We launched Project Tariff in response to increased reports of incidents of shots fired in Vancouver and the ongoing
  
  Read more

• Wildfires claim more structures in B.C., while human-caused blazes raise concern

  16-08-2017 20:37 via vancouversun.com
  KAMLOOPS — The same fire that destroyed dozens of homes near Ashcroft six weeks ago has now consumed structures in the Green Lake area almost 100 kilometres away.
  Thompson-Nicola Regional District spokeswoman Debbie Sell says the fire is 1,680 square kilometre in size and still active in the region.
  She says downed power lines have added to the danger in the area and officials have not been able to access the site to determine what has been lost.
  Sell says affected property owners will be
  
  Read more

• The Fair at the PNE 2017

  16-08-2017 20:33 via globalnews.ca
  The Fair at the PNE is back again to close out the summer in style! With concerts every night and new attractions there is something for everyone at the Fair at the PNE!
  
  Read more

• B.C.'s wildfire season surpasses 1958 record for amount of land burned

  16-08-2017 20:29
  The wildfire service reports at least 10 wildfires have broken out in the last 24 hours, including six believed to have
  
  Read more

• B.C. parents plead for return of stolen photos of their dead son

  16-08-2017 19:48 via globalnews.ca
  A B.C. family is speaking out today hoping the thieves who stole their computers will return them.
  
  Read more

• Five fun facts about the solar eclipse

  16-08-2017 19:13
  
  Celestial facts about the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.
  
  Read more

• Cameras rolling on Deadpool 2 two days after stuntwoman's death

  16-08-2017 19:08 via vancouversun.com
  The cameras are once again rolling on the Vancouver production of Deadpool 2, two days after the tragic motorcycle death of stuntwoman Joi “SJ” Harris.
  Harris, a 40-year-old professional motorcycle racer from New York, was performing a stunt near Canada Place on Monday when she lost control of her bike, jumped a curb and crashed head first into a glass window at Shaw Tower.  
  Joi “SJ” Harris
  Harris was treated by ambulance personnel but died at the sce
  
  Read more

• Wine Guy: Wines rated PG (Pinot Gris)

  16-08-2017 19:06 via theprovince.com
  Pinot Gris has become rather ubiquitous.
  The wine (also known as: Pinot Grigio) is everywhere—from pretty much every restaurant wine list to many a dinner party dining table. There are a few solid reasons for Pinot Gris’ success. The trend for Italian Pinot Grigio a few years back certainly helped, as legions looked to complement a glass into their wishful, poolside villa lifestyle. But the staying power of the grape is really more everyday mundane: Pinot Gris is both accessible and
  
  Read more

• Small wildfire breaks out near Naramata

  16-08-2017 18:39 via globalnews.ca
  The fire is burning about 3.5 kilometres east of Naramata and no homes are being threatened by the blaze.
  
  Read more

• North American soccer boss says potential for World Cup games in Vancouver — his hometown — ‘a salivating prospect’

  16-08-2017 18:29 via theprovince.com
  There’s a long way to go, but North America’s top soccer official says Vancouver’s potential to be a World Cup host city is a very big deal for his home town.
  Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, the body which overseas soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, called Vancouver being named Tuesday in a list of 44 cities which could potentially play host to matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup a “salivating proposition.”
  “We saw what V
  
  Read more

• Federal, provincial governments consider help for farmers after B.C. wildfires

  16-08-2017 18:05 via vancouversun.com
  VICTORIA — Government help may be on the way for farmers and ranchers hard hit by wildfires that have charred more than 8,450 square kilometres of timber, range and farmland in British Columbia.
  Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and B.C. counterpart Lana Popham have met in Victoria.
  A news release says they are working quickly to assess the extraordinary costs incurred by B.C.’s food producers.
  Additional assistance is also being considered to help farmers and ranchers r
  
  Read more

• Victim in deadly Vancouver bus crash identified as U.S. doctor and father

  16-08-2017 17:57 via globalnews.ca
  The victim of the deadly bus crash at Canada Place on Sunday has now been identified as a doctor from Massachusetts.
  
  Read more

• Movie News: What’s filming in Vancouver and who is in town?

  16-08-2017 17:36 via globalnews.ca
  Steven Schelling has all of the latest movie news from film and movie sets around Metro Vancouver.
  
  Read more

• The Morning Skate, Aug. 16: It’s summer, so it’s time for a new Gino Odjick tribute song

  16-08-2017 17:13 via theprovince.com
  How can you go wrong with Gino?
  Hat tip to Scott Brown for passing this one along: “Local folkie Geoff Berner has a new song dedicated to Gino Odjick.”See, aren’t you in a great mood and ready to take on Hump Day?Let’s get skating!
  The Home Team
  Other than Gino, I thought the day where I can’t find anything to note about the Canucks has arrived.
  Bo Horvat is going to be a Canuck for a long time, but how long? (Getty Images).
  Then I found out that Bo Horvat had been
  
  Read more

• Michael Wolfson: Ending income splitting would create greater tax fairness

  16-08-2017 17:00 via theprovince.com
  Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau released a long and nervously awaited discussion paper last month that was met with near apoplexy in some corners. The paper aimed at closing a number of loopholes where mainly rich taxpayers use private companies (Canadian-controlled private corporations or CCPCs) to reduce their taxes compared with most Canadians whose incomes come through paycheques or self-employment.
  The proposals would fulfil a Liberal campaign promise to address unfair uses of some ar
  
  Read more

• Letters: NDP should be ‘fighting’ for jobs, not killing projects

  16-08-2017 17:00 via theprovince.com
  George Heyman, Environment and Climate Change Strategy minister, says “we’ve committed to stepping up and fighting for B.C.’s interests.” What he really means is that they’re fighting for what Premier John Horgan and Green party Leader Andrew Weaver want.What the B.C. NDP should be “fighting” for is to secure jobs, not chase them away. This fight against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is just the start of a long list of ways that Horgan and Weaver
  
  Read more

• Priscilla Presley: Elvis would never have overcome his demons

  16-08-2017 16:49
  
  Priscilla Presley is convinced her late ex-husband Elvis wouldn’t have overcome his problems even if he had survived his fatal heart attack.
  
  Read more

• Stripper allegedly stabs beau, shoves wood down his throat

  16-08-2017 16:48
  
  A Florida stripper is getting comfortable in a jail cell after being arrested for allegedly stabbing their boyfriend in the eyes with a pen and shoving a piece of wood down his throat.
  
  Read more

• Daily Poll: What do you think about B.C.'s plan for $15 minimum wage?

  16-08-2017 16:18 via vancouversun.com
  B.C.’s NDP government will bump the minimum wage by 50 cents in September with a goal to raise the rate to $15 an hour by 2021.
  “Raising the minimum wage is only one way the new government will make life more affordable for British Columbians, but it’s an important start,” said Minister of Labour Harry Bains. 
  The minimum wage will go up to $11.35 per hour on Sept. 15, while the minimum wage for liquor servers will be propped up to $10.10 per hour.
  Related
  
  Read more

• Vancouver mayor calls for peace ahead of far-right rally and counter protest

  16-08-2017 16:06 via globalnews.ca
  Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says the city is working with police to make sure there are no violent clashes in Vancouver this weekend.
  
  Read more

• Production set to resume on ‘Deadpool 2’ following stunt woman’s death

  16-08-2017 16:06 via globalnews.ca
  Production is set to resume Wednesday morning for Deadpool 2 as an investigation continues into stunt woman S.J. Harris' death.
  
  Read more

• 5 Don't Miss PNE Summer Night Concerts

  16-08-2017 15:00 via vancouversun.com
  Summer Night Concerts
   Aug. 19 — Sept 4, 8:30 p.m. | PNE Amphitheatre, PNE Fairgrounds
  Tickets and info: Free with admission at pne.ca
  One of the highlights of the Pacific National Exhibition is stuffing yourself silly with assorted fried-food like substances. Another is taking in live music at the outdoor concert stage. Lineups have varied over the years, but this year just might be one of the strongest in decades.
  So after you finish your Mars-bar stuffed, pulled-pork cotton candy f
  
  Read more

• Opinion: Widespread wind and solar energy projects makes sense for B.C.

  16-08-2017 07:00 via vancouversun.com
  In his comment piece in The Vancouver Sun, Aug. 4, Simon Fraser University professor Mark Jaccard is correct in citing that dispatchable energy is of more value than variable energy. 
  His analogy regarding the dispatchability of emergency services is also quite compelling. However, the work required to determine the economic viability of Site C’s energy will need to go far beyond a simple analysis of a dispatchable resource versus a variable resource (one that can be switched on and o
  
  Read more

• Opinion: Curriculum changes do nothing to improve education

  16-08-2017 07:00 via vancouversun.com
  As we prepare to send our kids back to school, some of the items you won’t have to buy are pencils and a workbook for their math class. But you will need to purchase a calculator for your child entering kindergarten.
  Under the new math curriculum, technology is the shiny new bauble that five- and six-year-olds will be mandated to use on a regular basis, rendering cognitive and fine motor skills to the dustbin.
  Curricular reform has come to B.C. … again. Some of these changes at the
  
  Read more

• Letters: Keep cats indoors for their sake

  16-08-2017 07:00 via vancouversun.com
  Re: Coyote warning system a pet project, Aug. 12
  I love cats, and have shared my home with several over the years. Because I love them, I never let them loose outdoors.
  As I stroll my neighbourhood, I see numerous posters asking for help in finding lost cats. Most of those cats wouldn’t be lost (or dead) if they had been kept indoors. My cats, without exception, have lived 12 to 18 years; the average for indoor cats is 13 to 17 years. The average life expectancy of outdoor cats is two to f
  
  Read more

• Tenancy Branch cancels eviction of orphaned Abbotsford siblings

  16-08-2017 06:35 via globalnews.ca
  The St. Ange children – aged 15 to 22 – were told they had to pack up and be out by the end of July.
  
  Read more

• Strangers rescue Nanaimo pair from burning car on Trans-Canada

  16-08-2017 06:31 via globalnews.ca
  It happened just after noon about 40 km east of Revelstoke on Highway 1.
  
  Read more

Follow @VancouverCANews on Twitter!